Server, method of controlling server, and non-transitory computer-readable medium

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a server capable of improving convenience for a user at the time of service registration. The server includes a service providing unit which provides a service to an unregistered user who is not registered in the service when the unregistered user accesses the service, and a storage device which stores a service history provided to the unregistered user by the service providing unit. When the unregistered user is registered in the service, the service providing unit allows the unregistered user to use the service while taking over a service history used when the unregistered user is not registered in the service.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/832,331 filed onAug. 21, 2015, which claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-42601, filed on Mar. 4,2015, in the Japanese Patent Office (JPO), the entire contents of whichare hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND Field

Several of the example embodiments relate to a server, a method ofcontrolling a server, and/or a non-transitory computer readable mediumfor a service system which provides part of a service to a user who isnot registered in the service requiring registration.

Background

In recent years, there have been many services (messaging services) fora chat service where messages are exchanged among a plurality of userterminals through a network. Most of the services require registration;therefore, there is a problem in that users who are not registered inthe services cannot experience the content and advantages of theservices and do not have an opportunity to be prompted to register inthe services.

SUMMARY

In the conventional art, a user not registered as a member who uses aservice (such as an online game, online messaging services, online emailaccounts, social media services, websites, web portals, search engines,enterprise software, software as a service, etc.) only when a userregistered as a member who invites the user not registered as a memberis logged into a service server, and it is hard to say that anopportunity to let an unregistered user experience the content of theservice is sufficiently provided. When a user not registered as a memberis newly registered in the service, the user cannot continue to use gamedata used at the time of unregistration, and it is inconvenient for theuser.

Inventive concepts related to the example embodiments are directedtowards the above-described problem, and an object of the exampleembodiments is to provide a server, a method of controlling a server,and/or a computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computerreadable medium capable of allowing an unregistered user to know thecontent of a service and improving convenience at the time of serviceregistration of an unregistered user.

According to an aspect of the inventive concepts, there is provided aserver that may include a memory having computer readable instructionsstored thereon, at least one processor configured to execute thecomputer readable instructions to provide a service to an unregistereduser who is not registered in the service when the unregistered useraccesses the service, store a service history on a storage device, andallows, once registered, the unregistered user to use the service whiletaking over a service history from when the unregistered user was notregistered.

The server according to at least one example embodiment the at least oneprocessor may be further configured to receive an invitation request forinviting the unregistered user to the service from a registered user whois registered in the service, transmit an invitation message to theservice to the unregistered user according to the invitation request,and provide the service to an unregistered user who accesses the serviceaccording to the invitation message. The server according to at leastone example embodiment, the at least one processor may be furtherconfigured to acquire user identification information of theunregistered user who accesses the service according to the invitationmessage, store the invitation message and the user identificationinformation in association with each other on the storage device, andprovide the service to a user having user identification informationassociated with the invitation message among users who access theservice according to the invitation message.

In the server according to at least one example embodiment, the at leastone processor may be further configured to limit the content of theservice to be provided to the unregistered user based on the content ofthe service to be provided to the registered user.

In the server according to at least one example embodiment, the servicemay include a messaging service for exchanging messages betweenregistered users, and the service history is a message history exchangedby the unregistered user and a registered user.

In the server according to at least one example embodiment, the servicemay include a messaging service for exchanging messages betweenregistered users, and the at least one processor may be furtherconfigured to prohibit the unregistered user to use content usable by aregistered user other than a text message as a message.

In the server according to at least one example embodiment, the contentmay include at least one of an image, a video, an animation, an audiofile, and a digital sticker (stamp).

In the server according to at least one example embodiment, the servicemay include a messaging service for exchanging messages betweenregistered users, the invitation message may include information aboutone or more registered users who are able to exchange a message with theunregistered user, and the at least one processor may be furtherconfigured to prohibit the unregistered user to exchange a message withan registered user not included in the information.

In the server according to at least one example embodiment, themessaging service may exchange a message between registered users set asfriends, and the at least one processor may be further configured totransmit information for displaying a registered user included in theinformation on a desired display device of the unregistered user ascandidates of friends of the unregistered user when the unregistereduser is registered in the service.

In the server according to at least one example embodiment, the servicemay include a call service for allowing a voice call using acommunication line between registered users, and the at least oneprocessor may be further configured to prohibit the unregistered user touse the call service.

In the server according to at least one example embodiment, the at leastone processor may be further configured to skip an input procedure of atelephone number at the time of new registration in the service when theinvitation message is transmitted using a communication protocol capableof using a telephone number as an address.

According to another aspect of the inventive concepts, there is provideda method of controlling a server that may include a providing, using atleast one processor, a service to an unregistered user who is notregistered in the service when the unregistered user accesses theservice, storing, using the at least one processor, a service historyprovided to the unregistered user on a storage device, and, allowing,once registered, the unregistered user to use the service while takingover a service history from when the unregistered user was notregistered.

According to at least one example embodiment, the method may includereceiving, using the at least one processor, an invitation request forinviting the unregistered user to the service from a registered user whois registered in the service, transmitting, using the at least oneprocessor, an invitation message to the service to the unregistered useraccording to the invitation request, and providing, using the at leastone processor, the service to an unregistered user who accesses theservice according to the invitation message.

According to at least one example embodiment, the method may includeacquiring, using the at least one processor, user identificationinformation of the unregistered user who accesses the service accordingto the invitation message, storing, using the at least one processor,the invitation message and the user identification information inassociation with each other on the storage device, and providing, usingthe at least one processor, the service to a user having useridentification information associated with the invitation message amongusers who access the service according to the invitation message.

According to at least one example embodiment, the method may includelimiting, using the at least one processor, the content of the serviceto be provided to the unregistered user based on the content of theservice to be provided to the registered user.

According to at least one example embodiment, the method may includewherein the service includes a messaging service for exchanging messagesbetween registered users, and the service history is a message historyexchanged by the unregistered user and a registered user.

According to at least one example embodiment, the method may includeprohibiting, using the at least one processor, the unregistered user touse content usable by a registered user other than a text message as themessage, and wherein the service includes a messaging service forexchanging messages between registered users.

According to at least one example embodiment, the method may includewherein the content includes at least one of an image, a video, ananimation, an audio file, and a digital sticker.

According to at least one example embodiment, the method may includeprohibiting, using the at least one processor, the unregistered user toexchange a message with a registered user not included in theinformation, and wherein the service includes a messaging service forexchanging messages between registered users, and the invitation messageincludes information about one or more registered users who are able toexchange a message with the unregistered user.

According to at least one example embodiment, the method may includetransmitting, using the at least one processor, information fordisplaying a registered user included in the information on a desireddisplay device of the unregistered user as candidates of friends of theunregistered user when the unregistered user is registered in theservice, and wherein the messaging service exchanges a message betweenregistered users set as friends.

According to at least one example embodiment, the method may includeprohibiting, using the at least one processor, the unregistered user touse the call service, and wherein the service includes a call servicefor allowing a voice call using a communication line between registeredusers.

According to at least one example embodiment, the method may includeskipping, using the at least one processor, an input procedure of atelephone number at the time of new registration in the service when theinvitation message is transmitted using a communication protocol capableof using a telephone number as an address.

According to still another aspect of the inventive concepts, there isprovided a non-transitory computer-readable medium having embodiedthereon computer readable instructions for controlling at least oneprocessor to, when executed, that may cause the at least one processorto provide a service to an unregistered user who is not registered inthe service when the unregistered user accesses the service, store aservice history provided to the unregistered user, and allow, onceregistered, the unregistered user to use the service while taking over aservice history from when the unregistered user was not registered

According to still another aspect of the inventive concepts, there isprovided a system that may include at least one server, the at least oneserver including a memory having computer readable instructions storedthereon, and at least one processor configured to execute the computerreadable instructions to, receive a service registration request from aterminal device, determine whether the received service registrationrequest includes information indicating a limited service user, receivea unique identifier from the terminal device, register a user for theservice based on the results of the determination and the receivedunique identifier, and transmit service registration information to theterminal.

According to at least one example embodiment, an unregistered user canbe made to experience a service requiring registration, and after theunregistered user is registered in the service, the unregistered usercan continue to use a history (service content) of the service at thetime of unregistration, and high convenience for the user is provided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other features of inventive concepts will be apparentfrom the more particular description of non-limiting example embodimentsof inventive concepts, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings inwhich like reference characters refer to like parts throughout thedifferent views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasisinstead being placed upon illustrating principles of inventive concepts.In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the configuration of a service systemaccording to at least one example embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a server according to at least one exampleembodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a terminal device according to at least oneexample embodiment.

FIGS. 4A to 4D illustrate an example of screens which are displayed ondisplay devices of a terminal device of a registered user and a terminaldevice of an unregistered user according to at least one exampleembodiment.

FIG. 5 illustrates of a service history table of an unregistered useraccording to at least one example embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating processing of a terminal device and aserver when a terminal device 200A (registered user) invites a terminaldevice 200C (unregistered user) to a chat room according to at least oneexample embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing of a serverwhen an unregistered user accesses a URL of a chat room according to atleast one example embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing of a serverwhen a user C registers himself or herself in a service according to atleast one example embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various example embodiments will now be described more fully withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which some exampleembodiments are shown. Example embodiments, may, however, be embodied inmany different forms and should not be construed as being limited to theembodiments set forth herein; rather, these example embodiments areprovided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and willfully convey the scope of example embodiments of inventive concepts tothose of ordinary skill in the art. In the drawings, the thicknesses oflayers and regions are exaggerated for clarity. Like referencecharacters and/or numerals in the drawings denote like elements, andthus their description may be omitted.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being“connected” or “coupled” to another element, it can be directlyconnected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may bepresent. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directlyconnected” or “directly coupled” to another element, there are nointervening elements present. Other words used to describe therelationship between elements or layers should be interpreted in a likefashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus“directly adjacent,” “on” versus “directly on”). As used herein the term“and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of theassociated listed items.

It will be understood that, although the terms “first”, “second”, etc.may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions,layers and/or sections. These elements, components, regions, layersand/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms areonly used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer orsection from another element, component, region, layer or section. Thus,a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed belowcould be termed a second element, component, region, layer or sectionwithout departing from the teachings of example embodiments.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of exampleembodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” areintended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms“comprises”, “comprising”, “includes” and/or “including,” if usedherein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps,operations, elements and/or components, but do not preclude the presenceor addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations,elements, components and/or groups thereof. Expressions such as “atleast one of,” when preceding a list of elements, modify the entire listof elements and do not modify the individual elements of the list.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which example embodiments belong. Itwill be further understood that terms, such as those defined incommonly-used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaningthat is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant artand will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal senseunless expressly so defined herein.

Hereinafter, some example embodiments of the inventive concepts will bedescribed in detail in reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematicview of the configuration of a service system according to at least oneexample embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a service system 400includes, for example, a server 100, terminal devices 200A to 200C, anda network 300. The server (computer) 100 is connected to the terminaldevices 200A to 200C through the network 300. In FIG. 1, forsimplification of description, although only three terminal devices andone server is illustrated, it is needless to say that any number ofterminal devices and/or servers may be provided.

The terminal devices 200A to 200C are communication terminals which maybe represented by computing devices such as computers, laptops,smartphones, tablets, PDAs, smart televisions, a gaming device, or thelike. Hereinafter, description will be provided assuming that a user(user A) of the terminal device 200A and a user (user B) of the terminaldevice 200B are registered in a service according to some exampleembodiments, and a user (user C) of the terminal device 200C is notregistered in the service. The terminal device 200A and the terminaldevice 200B perform, for example, a chat as a part of the serviceaccording to some example embodiments that use a messaging application(hereinafter, abbreviated as a “message application”) provided by theservice side (e.g., an application provided by the service provider),and the server 100 receives a message transmitted from the terminaldevice 200A through the network 300 and transmits the message to theterminal device 200B, or receives a message transmitted from theterminal device 200B through the network 300 and transmits the messageto the terminal device 200A. In addition, the server 100 receivesinformation relating to the operation instruction content input from theusers with input reception devices of the terminal devices 200A to 200C,and performs processing according to the instruction content.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the server 100 according to at least oneexample embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the server 100 includes acommunication device 110, a storage device 120, and a processor 130.

The communication device 110 has a function of executing communicationwith the terminal devices 200A to 200C through the network 300 accordingto an instruction from the processor 130. The communication may beexecuted in a wired or wireless manner, and any communication protocolmay be used as long as communication can be executed.

The communication device 110 includes a reception unit 111 and atransmission unit 112. Although details will be described below, thereception unit 111 receives an invitation request for inviting anunregistered user to the service from a registered user who isregistered in the service. The transmission unit 112 transmits aninvitation message to the service to an unregistered user according tothe invitation request. When a messaging service is a service forexchanging messages between registered users set as friends, and when anunregistered user is registered in the service, the transmission unit112 transmits information for displaying a registered user included ininformation of the invitation message on a display device 250C of theunregistered user as a candidate for friends of the unregistered user.Hereinafter, although an aspect in which the terminal device 200Atransmits an invitation request will be described, the same applies to acase where the terminal device 200B transmits an invitation request.

The storage device 120 has a function of storing various programs anddata desired, useful for, and/or necessary for the operation of theserver 100. The storage device 120 includes a user information storageunit 121 and a history storage unit 122. The user information storageunit 121 stores information (various kinds of information desired,useful for, and/or necessary for service registration, such as a user ID(identifier) and a telephone number) of a user registered in theservice. The history storage unit 122 stores a service history of anunregistered user by a service providing unit 131 described below. Thehistory storage unit 122 stores an invitation message and useridentification information (details will be described) in associationwith each other. Typically, the storage device 120 is realized byvarious storage mediums, such as a hard disc drive (HDD), a solid statedrive (SSD), and a flash memory, etc.

The processor 130 is one or more processors (and/or processor cores,distributed processors, networked processors, etc.) which has a functionof controlling the respective device and/or units of the server 100. Theprocessor 130 is configured to execute processes by retrieving programs(e.g., computer readable instructions) and data from memory (not shown)or the storage device 120 to process them, thereby achieving control andfunctions of the devices and/or units of the entire server 100. Once theprogram instructions are loaded into the processor 130, the processor130 executes the program instructions, thereby transforming theprocessor 130 into a special purpose processor. The processor 130includes a service providing unit 131, a creation unit 132, and anacquisition unit 133.

Although details will be described below, the service providing unit 131provides the service to an unregistered user who is not registered inthe service when the unregistered user accesses the service. When theunregistered user is registered in the service, the service providingunit 131 allows the unregistered user to use the service while takingover a service history used when the unregistered user is not registeredin the service. The service providing unit 131 provides the service toan unregistered user who accesses the service according to theinvitation message transmitted from the transmission unit 112. Theservice providing unit 131 provides the service to a user having useridentification information associated with the invitation message amongusers who access the service according to the invitation message.

The service providing unit 131 limits the content of the service to beprovided to the unregistered user compared to the content of the serviceto be provided to the registered user. When a service includes amessaging service for exchanging messages between registered users, theservice providing unit 131 may or may not prohibit the unregistered userfrom using selected service content, functionality, applications, etc.usable by the registered user, for example service content other than atext messaging service. For example, the content may includetransmitting an image, audio data, video, a moving image (e.g.,animation, animated GIFs, etc.), a stamp (digital sticker), text, andthe like. As another example, the service providing unit 131 may or maynot prohibit the unregistered user from exchanging a message with theregistered user not included in information relating to one or moreregistered users included in the invitation message who can exchangemessages with the unregistered user according to some exampleembodiments.

When a service includes a call service for allowing a voice call using acommunication line between registered users, the service providing unit131 may or may not prohibit the unregistered user from using the callservice.

When the invitation message is transmitted using a communicationprotocol capable of using a telephone number as an address, the serviceproviding unit 131 provides the service after skipping an inputprocedure of a telephone number desired, useful for, and/or necessary atthe time of new registration in the service.

The creation unit 132 creates the invitation message to be transmittedto the unregistered user according to the invitation request from theregistered user. The acquisition unit 133 acquires user identificationinformation of the unregistered user who accesses the service accordingto the invitation message.

Next, the terminal device will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagramof the terminal device 200A according to at least one exampleembodiment. Here, although the terminal device 200A will be described,the same applies to the terminal devices 200B and 200C.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the terminal device 200A includes acommunication device 210, a storage device 220, a processor 230, aninput reception device 240, a display device 250, a sound interface(I/F) 260, and a speaker 270. In addition, the processor 230 includes aninformation processing unit 231 and a display processing unit 232. Thecommunication device 210 has a function of executing communication withthe server 100 through the network 300. The communication may beexecuted in a wired or wireless manner (e.g., using the Internet, anintranet, a WAN, a LAN, a PAN, a radio data network, a wireless network,a wireless phone network, etc.), and any communication protocol may beused as long as communication and/or data transmission can be executed.

The storage device 220 includes a service information storage unit 221and an address storage unit 222, and has a function of storing variousprograms, computer readable program instructions, or various kinds ofdata desired, useful for, and/or necessary for the operation of theterminal device 200A. For example, the service information storage unit221 stores information of a message application which is downloaded froman application server and installed on the terminal device 200A. Theaddress storage unit 222 includes information, such as telephone numbersof acquaintances of the user A, stores, and the like or various Emailaddresses registered by the user A of the terminal device 200A, etc.Typically, the storage device 220 is realized by various recordingmediums, such as an HDD, an SSD, and a flash memory, CD-ROMs, DVDs,Blu-ray discs, etc.

The input reception device 240 receives an input from the user andtransfers information for the input to the processor 230. The inputreception device 240 is realized by a touch-sensitive panel or the like,which detects touch and the touch position with an indicator, such asthe finger of the user or a stylus, and transfers the coordinates of thetouch position to the information processing unit 231. Additionally, theinput reception device 240 may interface with other input devices, suchas a mouse, a keyboard, a game controller, a camera, a microphone, etc.According to at least one example embodiment, the input reception device240 receives an input from the user, such as a chat message from theuser, various icons or menu buttons displayed on the display device 250,a tap operation to a URL, and the like.

The processor 230 is one or more processors (and/or processor cores,distributed processors, networked processors, etc.) which has a functionof controlling the respective devices and/or units of the terminaldevice 200A. The processor 230 is configured to execute processes byretrieving programs (e.g., computer readable instructions) and data frommemory (not shown) or the storage device 220 to process them, therebyachieving control and functions of the devices and/or units of theentire terminal device 200A. Once the program instructions are loadedinto the processor 230, the processor 230 executes the programinstructions, thereby transforming the processor 230 into a specialpurpose processor.

The processor 230 includes an information processing unit 231 and adisplay processing unit 232. The information processing unit 231 has afunction of performing control for data transmission from thecommunication device 210 to the server 100 according to informationinput from the input reception device 240. The information processingunit 231 has a function of transferring information received from theserver 100 with the communication device 210 to the display processingunit 232. The information processing unit 231 has a function of startingthe message application according to the input of the user to the inputreception device 240 and instructing the communication device 210 totransmit, to the server 100, information relating to the invitationrequest for transmitting the invitation message to the terminal device200C. When the user selects a URL displayed on the display device 250with a tap operation or the like, the information processing unit 231executes processing for receiving information for displaying acorresponding Web page on the display device 250 through the network300.

The display processing unit 232 has a function of converting data fordisplay transferred from the information processing unit 231 to pixelinformation and writing the pixel information to a frame buffer of thedisplay device 250. The display device 250 may be a monitor, displaypanel, television, image projector, etc., which has a function ofdisplaying an image according to display data written to the framebuffer by the display processing unit 232 of the processor 230. Thedisplay processing unit 232 has a function of instructing the displaydevice 250 to display messages to be displayed in the messageapplication or to display a Web page based on information receivedthrough the network 300.

The sound I/F 260 is an interface of the speaker 270 or headphones, etc.(not shown). The processor 230 outputs sound from the speaker 270 or theheadphones through the sound I/F 260 when the call service included inthe service according to at least one example embodiment.

Next, an aspect in which a user not registered in a service is invitedby a user registered in the service and uses the service will bedescribed referring to the drawings. FIGS. 4A to 4D illustrate anexample of screens which are displayed on the display devices of theterminal device 200A of the registered user and the terminal device 200Cof the unregistered user. Hereinafter, although the components of theterminal device 200C are attached with “C” after reference numerals, thefunctions of the components in the terminal device 200C are the same asthose described in the terminal device 200A.

FIG. 4A illustrates an example of a message application screen which isdisplayed on the display device 250 of the terminal device 200Aaccording to at least one example embodiment. The user A of the terminaldevice 200A is registered in the service and uses the messageapplication provided by the service. FIG. 4A illustrates an example of ascreen when the user A invites another user to a “chat room” where achat is performed among a plurality of members through a network. Asillustrated in the drawing, a friends list 510 registered in the serviceand a users list 520 stored in the address storage unit 222 of the userA but not registered in the service are displayed on the display device250 according to at least one example embodiment, but the exampleembodiments are not limited thereto. The user A can select users desiredto invite to the service (desired to chat) among the unregistered usersdisplayed in the users list 520 as well as the friends registered in theservice and can transmit an invitation request to the server 100. In theexample of the drawing, as the members of the chat room, a “user B” anda “user D” as a registered user and a “user C” as an unregistered userare selected.

FIG. 4B illustrates a screen example of the display device 250C of theterminal device 200C of the user C as an unregistered user who receivesthe invitation message transmitted from the server 100 according to theinvitation request of the user A according to at least one exampleembodiment. According to this example embodiment, the invitation messageis transmitted using a communication protocol capable of using atelephone number as an address, for example, a short message service(SMS), a multimedia messaging service (MMS), or the like, but is notlimited thereto. For example, the invitation message may use other typesof identifiers as the address for the unregistered user, such as IPaddress, email address, mailing address, and/or a PIN, uniqueidentification number, screen name, user name according to a separateonline service, etc. As illustrated in the drawing, a URL of a chat roomwhere an unregistered user can perform a chat is displayed on thedisplay device 250C of the user C along with a message 530 deliveredfrom the user A using the SMS, for example, a message “YOU ARE INVITEDTO CHAT ROOM BY USER A. PLEASE ACCESS FOLLOWING URL AND INPUT PASSCODEQW1U88 TO PARTICIPATE IN CHAT ROOM.”

If the user C taps and selects the URL of the chat room described in themessage 530, as in FIG. 4C, an input message 540 of a passcode isdisplayed on the display device 250C of the user C according to at leastone example embodiment. When desiring to experience the service, theuser C inputs a passcode described in the message 530 through the inputreception device 240C and taps a “PARTICIPATE IN ROOM” button. In theexample of FIGS. 4A to 4D, “QW1U88” is input. Then, the display device250C transitions to a chat screen (chat room) illustrated in FIG. 4D.The chat room illustrated in FIG. 4D is displayed using a Web browserfor an unregistered user, but is not limited thereto and may be othersoftware capable of displaying a graphical user interface, such as asmart device application, a computer program, etc. As illustrated in thedrawing, an unregistered user can view a chat with a registered user,and can input a message 550 through the input reception device 240C.Here, as a display name of the user C as an unregistered user in thechat room, a telephone number or an address used for the invitation isused. Additionally, the user C may register his/her display name and maydisplay the display name in the chat room. In the case of a registereduser, a display name is different among users who are the members of thechat room. That is, a display name is different according to therelationship between a user of a mobile terminal displaying the chatroom and the members of the chat room. For example, when the user A andthe user B have a friendship, and when the name of the user A isregistered as “A” in an address storage unit 222B of a mobile terminal Bof the user B, the user A is displayed as “A” in the chat room displayedin the mobile terminal B. When the user A and the user D have afriendship, and when the name of the user A is registered as “Mr. A” inan address storage unit 222D of a mobile terminal D of the user D, theuser A is displayed as “Mr. A” in the chat room displayed in the mobileterminal D. When not registered, a display name set by the user A isdisplayed.

A history of a chat performed in the chat room illustrated in thedrawing is stored in the history storage unit 122 of the server 100. Thechat history includes information, such as the content (e.g., text,audio, video, URLs, animations, files, data, etc.) and the senders ofmessages, the sending date and time of the messages, and, though notillustrated in the drawing, stamps transmitted from a registered user(stamps will be described below). The storage of the chat history may beperformed by saving the text log of the chat content, the hypertextmarkup language (HTML) of the chat room screen display, copies of theaudio, video, files and/or data transmitted, or the like. In addition,the chat history may be saved in a data format dedicated to the messageapplication. Then, when the user C is newly registered in the service, achat history stored in the history storage unit 122 and performed whenthe user C is not registered in the service is taken over. That is, theuser C can continue to view the chat history performed at the time ofunregistration in the service, or can continue a chat with the chat roommembers. A registered user may store a chat history in the storagedevice of his/her terminal device.

In this way, according to some example embodiments, it is possible toallow a user to experience the content of the service even if the useris not registered in the service and to prompt the unregistered user toregister in the service. In addition, since the content of the serviceused at the time of unregistration can be used continuously afterregistration, high convenience for the user is provided.

When an unregistered user selects a URL described in the invitationmessage and accesses a chat room as a Web site, a cookie, or othersoftware, may be assigned to the terminal device 200C of theunregistered user as user identification information. Additionally, theuser identification information may be tracked on the server by othermeans, such as tracking the unregistered user's IP address, MAC address,phone number, etc. At this time, the invitation message (e.g., URL)transmitted to the unregistered user and the assigned useridentification information (e.g., cookie) are stored in the historystorage unit 122 of the server 100 in association with each other. Whenthe unregistered user accesses the chat room after the first access, theacquisition unit 133 of the server 100 acquires the cookie assigned tothe terminal device 200C, and the service providing unit 131 displaysthe chat room only for a user associated with the cookie stored in thehistory storage unit 122 among users who access the URL.

In this way, the user identification information and the URL of the chatroom are stored in association with each other, and the chat room isdisplayed only for a user having the user identification informationassociated with the URL; therefore, for example, even if the URL isleaked to a user who does not receive the invitation message, it ispossible to prevent unauthorized access of a user who is not invited.

The content of the service that an unregistered user can enjoy in thechat room may be limited compared to a registered user. For example, aregistered user can use stamps (e.g., digital stickers, emojis, digitalimages, photos, etc.) set in advance in messages transmitted during achat, in addition to text messages. The stamps are of various types(illustration, animation) capable of representing user's feelings, andthe registered user may transmit only stamps without using text.However, the service providing unit 131 may allow an unregistered userto view stamps transmitted from a registered user in the chat room wherethe unregistered user performs a chat but may prohibit the unregistereduser to use the stamps. In addition to the stamps, sound data, movingimages, images, and the like may be used only by a registered user.

In this way, according to at least one example embodiment, since anunregistered user is prohibited to use part of content usable only by aregistered user, it is possible to prompt an unregistered user toregister in the service.

The invitation message includes information for one or more registeredusers who can exchange messages with an unregistered user, and theservice providing unit 131 may prohibit an unregistered user fromexchanging messages with registered users not included in thisinformation (that is, not included in a group member of a chat in thechat room described in the URL). As described above, an unregistereduser can perform a chat only by receiving an invitation message from aregistered user and accessing a URL described in the invitation message.Here, the invited members of the chat room are determined by theregistered user. Therefore, the unregistered user cannot start andperform a chat with a registered user who is not the invited member ofthe chat room.

In this way, according to at least one example embodiment, since anunregistered user does not start a new chat with a registered user, itis possible to prompt an unregistered user to register for the service.

A chat will be performed between registered users set as friends inadvance, and when an unregistered user is registered in the service,registered users who are estimated as candidates of the friends of theunregistered user may be displayed on the display device 250C of theunregistered user C. Here, the members of the chat room to which theunregistered user C is invited can be the friends of the unregistereduser C. Therefore, when the unregistered user C is registered in theservice, information for displaying the members of the chat room on thedisplay device 250C as the candidates of the friends may be transmittedfrom the transmission unit 112 of the server 100 to the terminal device200C.

With this configuration, it is possible to eliminate the time when anunregistered user searches for friends after service registration, andto provide a service with high convenience.

In the above description, although the messaging service (chat) has beendescribed as an example of a service, the example embodiments are notlimited thereto, and a call service for allowing a voice call betweenregistered users using a communication line is included as a service.However, the service providing unit 131 may prohibit an unregistereduser to use a call service. The content of the service including thecall service can be known by displaying a message to prompt theunregistered user to register in the service, “REGISTRATION IS REQUIREDFOR USE OF STAMP AND NO-CHARGE CALL. CONVERSATION IS CONTINUED.”, in thechat room displayed using the Web browser, for example, as illustratedin FIG. 4D.

In this way, according to at least one example embodiment, since thecall service is used only by a registered user, it is possible to promptan unregistered user to register in the service.

In the above description, although an aspect in which a communicationprotocol, such as the SMS, with a telephone number as an address is usedto transmit the invitation message has been described, the exampleembodiments are not limited thereto, and the invitation message may betransmitted to an Email address stored in an address storage unit 222 ofa registered user, through a messaging application, an online game, asocial media service, a website, etc. When a communication protocol witha telephone number as an address is used to transmit the invitationmessage, an input procedure of a telephone number desired, useful for,and/or necessary when an unregistered user newly registers himself orherself in the service may be skipped.

In this way, according to at least one example embodiment, since theinput procedure desired, useful for, and/or necessary when anunregistered user newly registers himself or herself in the service isskipped, it is possible to enhance convenience for the user.

A service history of an unregistered user which is stored in the historystorage unit 122 of the server 100 according to at least one exampleembodiment will be described. FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a servicehistory table of an unregistered user which is stored in the historystorage unit 122. The history storage unit 122 may be implemented as adatabase, or the like. As illustrated in the drawing, a service historytable 122TBL includes “USER ID”, “TERMINAL IDENTIFICATION INFORMATION”,“CHAT ROOM URL”, “INVITATION MESSAGE”, “PASSCODE”, “USER IDENTIFICATIONINFORMATION”, “MEMBER”, and the like. In regard to a registered user,“USER ID” is one of the user accounts set by a service management side.Accordingly, in regard to an unregistered user, “USER ID” may be set bythe service management side separately from a registered user. “TERMINALIDENTIFICATION INFORMATION” indicates information, such as a device keywhich is an individual identification number of a mobile phone terminalor a security identifier (SID), for identifying an individual terminal.In the example embodiment depicted in the drawing, when the user ID ofan unregistered user is “User_C”, a chat room specified with“https://guest.line.me/134343411” is associated, and the access code ofthe chat room is “QWU1U88”. A cookie “jLB**31” is assigned as useridentification information. An invitation message is transmitted withthe SMS, and a telephone number “090-xxΔ□” is stored. In addition, it isunderstood that the invited members of the chat room are “User_A,User_B, User_D”. It is to be noted that the user ID and the likeillustrated in the drawing are examples, and the example embodiments arenot limited thereto. For example, the user ID may be a number, username,email address, and/or other unique identifier.

Next, the operation of the service system according to at least oneexample embodiment will be described referring to a flowchart. FIG. 6 isa flowchart illustrating processing of the terminal devices 200A and200C and the server 100 when the user A (registered user) of theterminal device 200A invites the user C (unregistered user) of theterminal device 200C to the chat room. In the drawing, forsimplification, the terminal devices 200A and 200C are described as a“terminal device A” and a “terminal device C”.

First, an invitation request of the user C is transmitted from thecommunication device 210 of the terminal device 200A (Step S11). Thereception unit 111 of the server 100 receives the invitation request,and the creation unit 132 creates an invitation message for the user C.Then, the invitation message is transmitted from the transmission unit112 of the server 100 to the terminal device 200C (Step S21). The user Cof the terminal device 200C accesses a URL described in the invitationmessage displayed on the display device 250C through the input receptiondevice 240C (Step S31). The acquisition unit 133 of the server 100assigns user identification information (cookie) of the terminal device200C and stores the user identification information in the historystorage unit 122 (Step S22). Next, the server 100 transmits an inputrequest for a passcode from the transmission unit 112 to the terminaldevice 200C (Step S23). At this time, the input message 530 of thepasscode illustrated in FIG. 4C is displayed on the display device 250Cof the terminal device 200C. The user C of the terminal device 200Cinputs the passcode described in the invitation message through theinput reception device 240C and transmits the passcode to the server 100(Step S32).

The service providing unit 131 of the server 100 determines whether ornot the passcode is correct based on the service history table 122TBLstored in the history storage unit 122 (Step S24). When it is determinedthat the passcode is not correct, the server 100 denies access to theterminal device 200C (Step S25). At this time, for example, displayinformation for displaying a message “PASSCODE IS WRONG” on the displaydevice 250C of the terminal device 200C may be transmitted to theterminal device 200C.

When it is determined in Step S24 that the passcode is correct, theserver 100 transmits display information for displaying a chat room withthe Web browser to the terminal device 200C of the user C as anunregistered user, and the user C of the terminal device 200C performs achat in the chat room with the Web browser (Step S33). The server 100transmits display information for displaying the content (message) ofthe chat to the terminal device 200A of the user A as a registered user,and the user of the terminal device 200A performs a chat in theapplication (Step S12). A chat history among members including the userA and the user C is stored in the storage device 120 of the server 100(Step S26).

Next, processing when the user C as an unregistered user accesses thechat room after the first access will be described referring to aflowchart. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating processing of the serverwhen the user C accesses the URL of the chat room according to at leastone example embodiment. As illustrated in the drawing, first, the user Caccesses the URL of the chat room described in the invitation message(Step T21). At this time, the user identification information (cookie)assigned from the server 100 is transmitted. If access to the URL isreceived, the server 100 transmits an input request for a passcode tothe terminal device 200C. The user C of the terminal device 200C inputsthe passcode through the input reception device 240C, and the inputpasscode is transmitted from the communication device 210 to the server100 (Step T22). The service providing unit 131 of the server 100determines whether or not the passcode is correct (Step T12). When it isdetermined that the passcode is not correct, the server 100 deniesaccess of the user C to the chat room, and does not transmit the displayinformation of the chat room to the terminal device 200C (Step T13). Atthis time, for example, display information for displaying a message“PASSCODE IS WRONG” on the display device 250C of the terminal device200C may be transmitted to the terminal device 200C.

When it is determined in Step T12 that the passcode is correct, theservice providing unit 131 determines whether or not the useridentification information is correct with reference to the servicehistory table 122TBL stored in the history storage unit 122 (Step T14).When it is determined that the user identification information is notcorrect, the server 100 denies access of the user C to the chat room,and does not transmit the display information of the chat room to theterminal device 200C (Step T15). When it is determined in Step T14 thatthe user identification information is correct, the service providingunit 131 of the server 100 transmits the display information fordisplaying the chat room with the Web browser from the transmission unit112 to the terminal device 200C (Step T16). The chat room is displayedin the Web browser on the display device 250C of the terminal device200C, and the user C as an unregistered user can perform a chat (StepT23).

Next, processing when the user C as an unregistered user registershimself or herself in the service will be described. FIG. 8 is aflowchart illustrating an example of processing of the server when theuser C registers himself or herself in the service according to at leastone example embodiment. First, a registration request to the service istransmitted from the terminal device 200C (Step P21). The registrationrequest is performed, for example, by installing an application forenjoying the service in the terminal device 200C and registering userinformation. If the registration request is received, the server 100determines whether or not the user C of the terminal device 200C is alimited service user, that is, whether or not the user C is invited anduses the service as an unregistered user (Step P11). This is determined,for example, using a telephone number, email address, unique useridentifier, or the like stored in the history storage unit 122. However,information which is used to determine whether or not a user is invitedand uses the service as an unregistered user may be any one of an Emailaddress, user identification information, etc., and terminalidentification information stored in history storage unit 122, or acombination thereof.

When it is determined in Step P11 that the user C is a limited serviceuser, the service providing unit 131 determines whether or not theinvitation message for the user C is transmitted with the SMS (StepP12). When it is determined in Step P11 that the user C of the terminaldevice 200C is not a limited service user and when it is determined inStep P12 that the invitation message for the user C is not transmittedwith the SMS, an input request for a telephone number desired, usefulfor, and/or necessary at the time of registration is transmitted to theterminal device 200C (Step P13). The user C of the terminal device 200Creceives the input request for the telephone number, inputs thetelephone number, and transmits the telephone number to the server 100(Step P22).

When the user C of the terminal device 200C is a limited service user,in Step P14, the user C is registered in the service by the server 100and can use the service while taking over the history of using theservice as an unregistered user. When the user C of the terminal device200C is not a limited service user, in Step P15, the user C isregistered in the service by the server 100. Thereafter, the server 100transmits the gist of registration completion to the terminal device200C (Step P16).

The effects of the example embodiments will be described again.According to the example embodiments, it is possible to allow anunregistered user to experience the content of the service even if theunregistered user is not registered in the service, and to prompt theunregistered user to register in the service. In addition, since thecontent of the service used at the time of unregistration can becontinuously used, high convenience for the user is provided. The useridentification information and the URL of the chat room are stored inassociation with each other, and the chat room is displayed only for auser having the user identification information associated with the URL;therefore, for example, even if the URL is leaked to a user who does notreceive the invitation message, it is possible to prevent anunauthorized access of a user who is not invited.

According to some example embodiments of the inventive concepts, anunregistered user is prohibited to use part of the service usable onlyby a registered user. An unregistered user cannot start a new chat witha registered user. In addition, a call service is applied only for aregistered user. With these, it is possible to prompt an unregistereduser to register in the service.

According to some example embodiments of the inventive concepts, whenthe invitation message for an unregistered user is transmitted using acommunication protocol with a telephone number as an address, the inputprocedure desired, useful for, and/or necessary when an unregistereduser newly registers himself or herself in the service is skipped;therefore, it is possible to enhance convenience for the user.

Although some example embodiments of the inventive concepts has beendescribed, it is needless to say that the example embodiments are notlimited thereto.

For example, in the above description, although an aspect in which thecookie is used as user identification information has been described,identification information of a user terminal based on a communicationprotocol (for example, wireless access protocol (WAP)) for communicationor terminal identification information may be used as useridentification information.

A period during which an unregistered user can view a chat room may belimited. For example, a chat in a chat room may be performed within twoweeks from the issuance of an invitation message. With thisconfiguration, it is possible to attract an unregistered user'sattention to the registration request to the service. When anunregistered user is registered in the service afterwards, the contentof a chat performed by another member in a period during which anunregistered user cannot view the chat room may be viewed or not by theunregistered user according to settings by a sender of the invitationrequest, or may be viewed by the unregistered user without settings.

In the example embodiments described above, an aspect in which themembers of the chat room who perform a chat are assembled (invited) by aregistered user has been described. However, the members of the chatroom may be the members of a group set in advance among registeredusers. In addition, the chat room may include a plurality ofunregistered users. In this case, although the URL of the chat room isthe same for each unregistered user, a combination of an access code anduser identification information is different for each unregistered user,whereby it is possible to prevent unauthorized access of a user otherthan the invited users to the chat room.

The chat room used by an unregistered user may not be displayed with theWeb browser after the unregistered user is registered in the service.For example, when the unregistered user clicks the URL of the chat roomdescribed in the invitation message after registration, there may be notransition to the Web browser, and the message application may start anddisplay the chat room.

The members of the chat room need not be a plurality of people, and aregistered user who transmits an invitation request and an unregistereduser may perform a chat one-to-one. In this case, when the unregistereduser is registered in the service, the registered user who transmits theinvitation request may be automatically registered as the friend of theunregistered user.

In the above description, an aspect in which a user who is invited tothe chat room is an unregistered user has been described. However, whena chat is performed among registered users (having a friendship) set asfriends, if users registered in the service have no friendship, theusers may not be selected as the other party of a talk on the messageapplication. For example, in FIG. 4A, while a user J described in anaddress book of the user A is registered in the service (uses themessage application), since the user J has no friendship with the userA, as illustrated in the drawing, the user J is not described in thefriends list 510. According to at least one example embodiment, the userA can perform an invitation request for the user J having such arelationship. That is, a user who is invited to the chat room may be aregistered user. Since the user J is registered in the service, the userA does not need to perform a chat in the chat room on the Web browser, amessage to prompt the user A to add the user J as a friend is displayed,and if the user A registers the user J as a friend, a chat can beperformed on the message application. In this case, the user J isspecified from a telephone number, an Email address, or the like usedwhen the user J is registered in the service, and information relatingto the user J can be displayed for the user A.

The terminal devices 200A to 200C are not limited to smartphones. Aterminal device may be any information processing device as long as theinformation processing device can realize the functions described in theembodiment described above, and may be, for example, a mobile terminal,a mobile phone, a personal computer (PC), a tablet terminal, a gamingconsole, a smart television, a smart watch, any other smart device, aPDA, etc.

Each functional unit of the server 100 may be realized by a logiccircuit (hardware) constituted of an integrated circuit (IC) chip orlarge scale integration (LSI), or a dedicated circuit, or may berealized by software using a central processing unit (CPU). In addition,each functional unit may be realized by one or a plurality of integratedcircuits, or the functions of a plurality of functional units may berealized by a single integrated circuit. The LSI may be referred to asVLSI, super LSI, or ultra LSI depending on the degree of integration.

When the respective functional units of the server 100 are realized bysoftware, the server 100 or each of the terminal devices 200A to 200Cincludes a CPU which executes commands of programs as software forrealizing the respective functions, a read only memory (ROM) or astorage device (these are referred to as “recording mediums”) in whichthe programs (e.g., computer readable instructions) and various kinds ofdata are recorded so as to be readable by a computer (or the CPU), arandom access memory (RAM) which develops the programs, and the like.Then, the computer (or the CPU) reads the programs from the recordingmediums and executes the programs, thereby transforming the computer (orthe CPU) into a special purpose computer (or special purpose CPU). Forthe recording mediums, “non-transitory tangible mediums”, such as atape, a disc, a card, a semiconductor memory, and a programmable logiccircuit, can be used. The programs may be supplied to the computerthrough an arbitrary transmission medium (a communication network, abroadcasting wave, or the like) capable of transmitting the programs.

The program described above can be implemented using, for example, ascript language, such as ActionScript or JavaScript (RegisteredTrademark), an object-oriented programming language, such as Objective-Cor Java (Registered Trademark), a markup language, such as HTMLS, or thelike.

The server, the method of controlling a server, and the program can beused as a server, a method of controlling a server, and a program forvarious service systems requiring registration.

The example embodiments as disclosed herein may comprise program codeincluding program instructions, software components, software modules,data files, data structures, and/or the like that are implemented by oneor more physical hardware devices. Examples of program code include bothmachine code produced by a compiler and higher level program code thatis executed using an interpreter. The hardware devices may include oneor more processors. The one or more processors are computer processingdevices configured to carry out the program code by performingarithmetical, logical, and input/output operations. Once the programcode is loaded into the one or more processors, the one or moreprocessors may execute the program code, thereby transforming the one ormore processors into special purpose processor(s).

Alternatively, or in addition to the processors discussed above, thehardware devices may include one or more Central Processing Units(CPUs), digital signal processors (DSPs),application-specific-integrated-circuits (ASICs), SoCs, fieldprogrammable gate arrays (FPGAs), or the like. In at least some cases,the one or more CPUs, SoCs, DSPs, ASICs and FPGAs, may generally bereferred to as processing circuits and/or microprocessors.

The hardware devices may also include one or more storage devices. Theone or more storage devices may be tangible or non-transitorycomputer-readable storage media, such as random access memory (RAM),read only memory (ROM), a permanent mass storage device (such as a diskdrive), and/or any other like data storage mechanism capable of storingand recording data. The one or more storage devices may be configured tostore program code for one or more operating systems and/or the programcode for implementing the example embodiments described herein. Theprogram code may also be loaded from a separate computer readablestorage medium into the one or more storage devices and/or the one ormore processors using a drive mechanism. Such separate computer readablestorage medium may include a USB flash drive, memory stick,Blu-ray/DVD/CD-ROM drive, memory card, and/or other like computerreadable storage medium (not shown). The program code may be loaded intothe one or more storage devices and/or the one or more processors from aremote data storage device via a network interface, rather than via acomputer readable storage medium. Additionally, the program code may beloaded into the one or more storage devices and/or the one or moreprocessors from a remote computing system that is configured to transferand/or distribute the program code over a network. The remote computingsystem may transfer and/or distribute the program code via a wiredinterface, an air interface, and/or any other like tangible orintangible medium. The one or more processors, the one or more storagedevices, and/or the program code may be specially designed andconstructed for the purposes of the example embodiments, or they may beknown devices that are altered and/or modified for the purposes of theexample embodiments.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made to the example embodimentswithout departing from the spirit or scope of the inventive conceptsdescribed herein. Thus, it is intended that the example embodimentscover the modifications and variations of the example embodimentsprovided they come within the scope of the appended claims and theirequivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of controlling a server, the methodcomprising: registering a first user to a service in response to aregistration request to register the first user to the service; storing,in a storage device, a service history associated with at least one userof the service; allowing, once registered, the first user to access theservice; associating a first service history of the first user with asecond service history including service history of the first userbefore the first user was registered in the service; and transmitting aninvitation message to the first user via a communication protocolcapable of using a telephone number as identification data.
 2. Themethod according to claim 1, further comprising: receiving an invitationrequest for inviting the first user to the service from a second userwho is registered in the service; transmitting the invitation message tothe first user according to the invitation request; and providing theservice to the first user according to the invitation message.
 3. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein the service is provided to thefirst user by allowing the first user to access a web browser that thefirst user was not allowed to access before being registered.
 4. Themethod according to claim 2, further comprising: acquiring useridentification information of the first user who accesses the serviceaccording to the invitation message; storing the invitation message andthe user identification information in association with each other intothe storage device; and providing the service to the first user havinguser identification information associated with the invitation messageamong users who access the service according to the invitation message.5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: limiting contentof the service to be provided to the first user based on the content ofthe service to be provided to a second user.
 6. The method according toclaim 1, wherein the service includes a messaging service for exchangingmessages between a plurality of registered users; and the servicehistory includes a message history exchanged by the first user and atleast one registered user of the plurality of registered users.
 7. Themethod according to claim 5, wherein the service includes a messagingservice for exchanging messages between a plurality of registered users,and the method further comprises: preventing the first user from usingcontent usable by the registered users other than a text message as themessage.
 8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the contentincludes at least one of an image, a video, an animation, an audio file,and a digital sticker.
 9. The method according to claim 5, furthercomprising: preventing the first user from exchanging messages with athird user not included in information associated with the invitationmessage; wherein the service includes a messaging service for exchangingmessages between a plurality of registered users; and the invitationmessage includes information about one or more registered users of theplurality of registered users who are able to exchange messages with thefirst user.
 10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:transmitting information for displaying a registered user included inthe information associated with the invitation message on a displaydevice of the first user as a friend candidate of the first user whenthe first user is registered in the service; wherein the service isconfigured to exchange at least one message between a registered userset as friend.
 11. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:preventing the first user from using a call service included in theservice; wherein the call service is configured to allow a voice callusing a communication line between a plurality of registered users. 12.The method according to claim 1, further comprising: transmitting theinvitation message to the first user at a time of new registration ofthe first user in the service using a communication protocol that is notcapable of using a telephone number as an address, the invitationmessage including an input procedure of a telephone number associatedwith the first user.
 13. A server comprising: a memory having computerreadable instructions stored thereon; and a processor configured toexecute the computer readable instructions to, provide a service to afirst user who is not registered in the service when the first usertries to access the service, store a service history in a storagedevice, the service history associated with at least one user of theservice, allowing, once registered, the first user to access theservice; associating a first service history of the first user with asecond service history including a service history of the first userbefore the first user was registered in the service; and transmitting aninvitation message to the first user via a communication protocolcapable of using a telephone number as identification data.
 14. Theserver according to claim 13, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to: receive an invitation request for inviting the first userto the service from a second user who is registered in the service;transmit the invitation message to the service to the first useraccording to the invitation request; and provide the service to thefirst user who accesses the service according to the invitation message.15. The server according to claim 14, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to: acquire user identification information of the first userwho accesses the service according to the invitation message; store theinvitation message and the user identification information inassociation with each other on the storage device; and provide theservice to the first user having user identification informationassociated with the invitation message among users who access theservice according to the invitation message.
 16. The server according toclaim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to: limit contentof the service to be provided to the first user based on the content ofthe service to be provided to a registered user.
 17. The serveraccording to claim 13, wherein the service includes a messaging servicefor exchanging messages between a plurality of registered users; and theservice history includes a message history exchanged by the first userand at least one registered user of the plurality of registered users.18. The server according to claim 16, wherein the service includes amessaging service for exchanging messages between a plurality ofregistered users; and the processor is further configured to prevent thefirst user from using content usable by the registered users other thana text message as the message.
 19. The server according to claim 18,wherein the content includes at least one of an image, a video, ananimation, an audio file, and a digital sticker.
 20. The serveraccording to claim 16, wherein: the service includes a messaging servicefor exchanging messages between a plurality of registered users; theinvitation message includes registered user information about one ormore registered users of the plurality of registered users who are ableto exchange messages with the first user; and the processor is furtherconfigured to prevent the first user from exchanging messages with athird user not included in the registered user information.
 21. Theserver according to claim 20, wherein the messaging service exchanges atleast one message between registered users set as friends; and theprocessor is further configured to transmit information for displaying asecond user included in the registered user information on a desireddisplay device of the first user as a friend candidate of the first userwhen the first user is registered in the service.
 22. The serveraccording to claim 16, wherein the service includes a call serviceconfigured to allow a voice call using a communication line between aplurality of registered users; and the processor is further configuredto prevent the first user from using the call service.
 23. The serveraccording to claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to:transmit the invitation message to the first user at a time of newregistration of the first user in the service using a communicationprotocol that is not capable of using the telephone number as anaddress, the invitation message including an input procedure of atelephone number associated with the first user.
 24. A method ofcontrolling a server, comprising: providing a messaging service to afirst user who is not registered in the messaging service when the firstuser accesses the messaging service; storing a service history on astorage device, the service history associated with at least one user ofthe messaging service and includes a chat history associated with a chatsession and copies of content transmitted during the chat session; andallowing, once registered, the first user to use the service andaccessing a service history associated with the first user before thefirst user was registered.
 25. A system comprising: a server; the serverincluding a memory having computer readable instructions stored thereon,and a processor configured to execute the computer readable instructionsto, receive a service registration request from a terminal deviceassociated with a messaging service, determine whether the receivedservice registration request includes information indicating a limitedservice user, receive a unique identifier from the terminal device,register a user for the service based on results of the determinationand the received unique identifier, transmit service registrationinformation to the terminal device, store a service history associatedwith the user on the memory, the service history including a chathistory associated with a chat session of the user and copies of contenttransmitted during the chat session, and allow the user to use themessaging service and access the service history associated with theuser, when the user is a limited service user and becomes a full serviceuser.